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Porsche updates 919 Hybrid racer for 2015 season

Porsche's grand return to the elite level of global endurance racing showed mixed success in its first year. The company did score one victory in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship season during the race in Brazil but finished in third place overall among the three factory manufacturers. Porsche is hoping for a few more wins in 2015 and is releasing its first shots of the updated car to achieve those triumphs when things kick off in April. The team's racer is still called the 919 Hybrid, but Porsche promises this second-generation version is a "comprehensive evolution" compared to last year. The most obvious change is the redesigned front end where the styling now features a simple horizontal intake running across the front (compare to 2014, below). The nose area also now flares out to the windshield. The side grows a more complicated look, though, with a series of fins just behind the driver compartment. Porsche isn't divulging many details about anything different under the skin. The 2015 919 is still propelled by a 2.0-liter turbocharged V4, and an electric motor powers the front wheels. There are also two energy recovery systems. In addition to the previous challengers from Audi and Toyota, Porsche has one more competitor in the factory ranks this season. The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo is rumored to be a radical departure from the rest of the field with an engine possibly located in front of the driver. Read the German brand's very brief release about the updated 919 Hybrid below and click through the gallery to see how it looks. Track debut for 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid Stuttgart. Extensive testing with the second generation of Porsche's Le Mans prototype will begin on January 18, on Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit. As scheduled, this marks the start of the 2015 motorsport season for the Porsche Team. The new Porsche 919 Hybrid has already had its roll-out on the Weissach test track. As a next step, there will be several performance and endurance tests before the WEC season opener on April 12 in Silverstone, Great Britain. The new Porsche 919 Hybrid is a comprehensive evolution of the successful car that made its debut in 2014. It will feature the same innovative drivetrain concept consisting of a 2-litre V4 turbocharged petrol engine, an electric motor powering the front wheels, and two energy recovery systems. The new generation car had its first roll-out on December 15, 2014.

Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Another Green Episode | Autoblog Podcast #665

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and West Coast Editor James Riswick for an episode dedicated to electric cars. First, they talk about what they've been driving, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the new base, rear-wheel-drive Porsche Taycan as well as the Polestar 2. Then they dive into some green news, including the reveal of the Audi E-Tron GT, the new Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV and plans to go electric by companies like General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover. Autoblog Podcast #665 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:Ford Mustang Mach-E Porsche Taycan Polestar 2  News 2022 Audi E-Tron GT revealed as sporty, electric cousin to Porsche Taycan 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV introduced along with revised Bolt EV General Motors sets goal of being carbon neutral, largely electric by 2035 Jaguar to sell all-electric cars by 2030, and six electric Land Rovers coming in next five years Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: